The Grand Bargain of Desalination – California Policy Center

Report on California’s Water Management and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

• California’s perceived water scarcity is identified as a consequence of resource mismanagement rather than an absolute deficit of water.
• Strategic investments in modern infrastructure and innovative technology can achieve water abundance, aligning with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Key strategies proposed include enhanced water capture from precipitation, comprehensive wastewater recycling, and the implementation of large-scale desalination.
• Achieving a state of “water hyper-abundance” offers a pathway to concurrently support urban development, agricultural needs, and critical ecosystem restoration, thereby advancing SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Analysis of Current Water Management and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

Mismanagement as the Root Cause of Scarcity

• California’s watersheds receive an average of nearly 200 million acre-feet of water annually from precipitation.
• A substantial volume of this resource is not captured or utilized due to insufficient investment in new water-supply infrastructure and restrictive environmental regulations.
• This failure to manage available resources effectively impedes progress towards SDG 6, which mandates the availability and sustainable management of water for all.

Proposed Solutions for Water Abundance

1. Conventional Projects: Increase the state’s water supply by an estimated 10 million acre-feet per year through initiatives such as improved forest management to increase runoff, enhanced runoff capture, and restructured delta-pumping regulations.
2. Wastewater Recycling: Implement advanced wastewater recycling programs to create a reliable, drought-proof water source for urban centers.
3. Desalination: Supplement the water supply with an additional 5 million acre-feet of fresh water annually through the construction of large-scale desalination facilities.

Infrastructure, Innovation, and Sustainable Communities (SDG 9 & SDG 11)

The Role of Desalination Technology

• The viability of desalination is established, with global capacity exceeding 30 million acre-feet per year and projected to double.
• Technological advancements have improved energy efficiency by a factor of ten over the past 50 years, making desalination a more sustainable option that aligns with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). The energy required for large-scale desalination is a minor fraction of California’s projected clean energy goals.
• Environmental concerns regarding brine discharge, a potential impact on SDG 14 (Life Below Water), can be effectively mitigated through modern engineering solutions, including high-pressure, multi-port diffusers that ensure rapid dilution in the ocean.

Technological Innovation and SDG 9

• Innovations in sustainable infrastructure, such as the deep-water desalination systems being developed by OceanWell, directly support the objectives of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). This technology aims to reduce energy consumption, environmental impact, and financial costs.
• Other emerging technologies, including solar-powered thermal distillation and battery-free reverse osmosis systems, offer potential for decentralized and off-grid water production.

Building Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)

• Water self-sufficiency for coastal metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and San Diego would end their dependence on long-distance aqueducts.
• An abundant water supply enables urban greening projects, which help mitigate the urban heat island effect and reduce wildfire risk, thereby strengthening resilience to climate-related hazards as outlined in SDG 13 (Climate Action).
• Securing a stable water supply and ending rationing are foundational to creating the safe, resilient, and sustainable urban environments envisioned in SDG 11.

Ecosystem Restoration and Biodiversity (SDG 15 & SDG 14)

Opportunities for Environmental Revitalization

• Achieving urban water self-sufficiency through desalination and recycling would permit the decommissioning of major aqueducts, creating unprecedented opportunities for ecosystem restoration.
• These restoration projects directly address the targets of SDG 15 (Life on Land) by returning water to depleted natural systems.

1. Hetch Hetchy Valley: Deactivating the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct could facilitate the restoration of the valley to its natural state.
2. Mono Lake: Ceasing diversions for the Los Angeles Aqueduct would allow flows to refill Mono Lake, revitalizing its unique ecosystem and its role in the Pacific Flyway.
3. Salton Sea: Reallocating Colorado River water from urban use to the Imperial Valley could provide the necessary inflow to prevent the Salton Sea ecosystem from collapsing.

Enhancing Aquatic Habitats

• A greater overall water supply provides the flexibility to manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in a way that benefits both agriculture and aquatic ecosystems.
• Measures such as dredging can create deeper, cooler water channels that are beneficial to migrating salmon.
• Allowing for the resumption of flood irrigation can help recharge depleted aquifers and desalinate cropland, supporting both SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 15.

Policy and a Path Forward

A Comparative Case: Texas

• The state of Texas is advancing plans for numerous desalination plants at a projected construction cost that is significantly lower than in California.
• This comparison underscores how differing regulatory and political environments can impact the deployment of critical infrastructure needed to achieve sustainability goals.

A Grand Bargain for Sustainable Development

• The pursuit of water hyper-abundance is presented as a political choice that can create a “grand bargain,” uniting environmental, agricultural, and urban interests.
• By investing in a diversified and modern water portfolio that includes desalination, California can systematically address the objectives of numerous SDGs.
• This integrated strategy demonstrates that agricultural productivity (SDG 2), urban resilience (SDG 11), and ecosystem health (SDG 15) can be achieved concurrently through innovative and sustainable water management (SDG 6).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • The entire article revolves around California’s water scarcity, mismanagement, and potential solutions like desalination and improved infrastructure to achieve water abundance. It directly addresses the availability and sustainable management of water.
2. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article extensively discusses the energy consumption of desalination processes. It highlights the significant drop in energy required over the past 50 years, compares the energy needs to the output of a nuclear power plant, and mentions innovations like solar-powered desalination, all of which relate to energy efficiency and clean energy sources.
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • The text advocates for massive investment in new water infrastructure, including desalination plants, reservoirs, and aqueducts. It also details technological innovations in desalination, such as OceanWell’s deep-water system and MIT’s solar-powered prototypes, which are central to building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.
4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The article discusses ensuring water security for large urban populations in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area, eliminating the need for water rationing. It also mentions creating a “garden city” in Los Angeles, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and reducing wildfire risk, all of which contribute to making cities more sustainable and resilient.
5. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • By proposing solutions to water scarcity, the article touches on strengthening resilience to climate-related hazards. It specifically mentions that better water management and increased urban forests can lower the “vapor pressure deficit,” which reduces wildfire risk, a key climate-related disaster in California.
6. SDG 14: Life Below Water
   • The article addresses the potential environmental impact of desalination on marine ecosystems, specifically the disposal of brine. It discusses mitigation strategies like pressurized dispersal and the diluting effect of the California Current to protect ocean habitats. It also mentions reducing the impact on underwater biota like plankton and fish larvae.
7. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • A significant portion of the article focuses on how water hyper-abundance could enable the restoration of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems. Examples include restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley, refilling Mono Lake, saving the Salton Sea, and restoring wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity.
   • The article’s central theme is overcoming water scarcity in California. It proposes adding “10 million acre-feet per year” through conventional projects and another “5 million acre-feet from desalination” to ensure a sustainable supply. It also mentions wastewater recycling and runoff capture as methods to increase supply efficiency.
2. Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels.
   • The article critiques California’s current “mismanagement” and advocates for a holistic approach combining desalination, wastewater recycling, runoff capture, new storage infrastructure, and policy reforms. This represents a call for integrated management to balance urban, agricultural, and environmental water needs.
3. Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
   • The article explicitly states that water hyper-abundance would allow for the restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley, the refilling of Mono Lake, saving the Salton Sea, and restoring wetlands. This directly aligns with the goal of restoring water-related ecosystems.
4. Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
   • The article highlights that the energy required for reverse osmosis desalination “has dropped by a factor of ten in the past 50 years.” It also points to new technologies like OceanWell’s system, which is estimated to be “roughly a third” more energy-efficient than current commercial plants.
5. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being.
   • The text calls for a “21st-century version of the State Water Project,” involving the construction of desalination plants, reservoirs, and aqueducts to provide a reliable water supply for cities and farms, directly addressing the need for new, resilient infrastructure.
6. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services.
   • The article argues that with new water projects, “household water use would no longer need to be rationed” in California’s cities, ensuring access to the basic service of water for millions of people.
7. Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including… harmful substances.
   • The article discusses the concern that desalination brine “constitutes a threat to marine ecosystems.” It then describes how conventional plants “disperse the brine and dilute its impact” and how the California Current’s flow ensures brine is “diluted to negligible levels,” addressing the mitigation of this potential pollutant.
8. Target 15.1: By 2030, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
   • The article’s “grand bargain” is that hyper-abundant water would allow for restoring ecosystems without harming agriculture or cities. It specifically names the restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley, Mono Lake, the Salton Sea, and delta wetlands as achievable outcomes.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 6.4 (Water Scarcity):
   • Volume of annual water supply: The article mentions California receives “nearly 200 million acre-feet of water” in an average year.
   • Volume of additional water generated: Progress can be measured by the proposed “10 million acre-feet per year” from conventional projects and “5 million acre-feet from desalination.”
   • Volume of water consumption by sector: The article provides baseline data: “farmers now use about 30 million acre-feet every year, and California’s cites use about 8 million acre-feet every year.”
2. For Target 7.3 (Energy Efficiency):
   • Energy consumption per unit of water desalinated: The article provides specific metrics, such as “3,500 kilowatt-hours per acre-foot” for existing technology and a projected “2,250 kilowatt-hours per acre-foot” for OceanWell’s new technology. This is a direct indicator of energy efficiency improvements.
3. For Target 9.1 (Infrastructure):
   • Investment in infrastructure projects: The cost of projects is used as an indicator, such as the “$1.4 billion dollars” for the proposed Huntington Beach plant.
   • Cost-efficiency of infrastructure: The article compares construction costs, noting Texas plants are budgeted at “$12,000 construction cost per acre-foot of annual capacity,” implying this is a benchmark for efficiency.
4. For Target 14.1 (Marine Pollution):
   • Dilution ratio of pollutants: An implied indicator is the ratio of brine discharge to ocean current flow. The article calculates that “the ratio of ocean to brine would still be only 60,000 to 1,” suggesting a way to measure the environmental impact.
5. For Target 15.1 (Ecosystem Restoration):
   • Volume of water returned to ecosystems: Progress could be measured by the “1 million acre-feet of water per year from the Colorado Aqueduct” that could be returned to the Salton Sea and other ecosystems.
   • Status of key ecosystems: The article implies progress can be tracked by the status of specific sites, such as whether Mono Lake is refilled to its natural level or Hetch Hetchy Valley is restored.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: californiapolicycenter.org